Brandon Twp.- Groveland Township residents may soon lose the use of their Brandon Township Library cards following a recent decision.
In a Dec. 1, 2003 letter to Robert DePalma, Groveland Township Supervisor, the Brandon Township Library had suggested a millage increase to the residents of Groveland Township of 1.8265 mills to generate $190,686 needed to operate the facility.
Based on a Groveland Township home cost of $240,784, a 1.8265 millage would cost a home owner $219.89 additional taxes per year. Currently, Groveland Township contributes $24,000 to Brandon Township Library, approximately 3 percent of the total revenues.
On Monday the Groveland Township Board unanimously rejected the offer, although a full vote on the measure will not come until February, when the township budget is established. As of April 1, 2004 Groveland Township residents will no longer have the full use of the Brandon Library unless they purchase a library card. The cost will be $150 per family or $100 per individual. Students from Groveland Township registered in the Brandon Public School system would continue to have access to library services according to an agreement with the Brandon School Board.
“We spoke with the library in April (2003) and they wanted about $100,000 to operate the library then,” said DePalma.
“I don’t want any hard feelings from the library but that’s just too much. Our citizens here in Groveland never had the opportunity to vote on the library when it was built in 2000. We spend about $70,000 (a year) on roads in the township, we can’t spend three times as much.”
If a settlement with Groveland is not reached prior to April 1, 2004 Brandon Library may consider cutting hours, reducing the number of new books ordered and discontinuing the Bookmobile service to Groveland Township, according to Joann Gavey, Brandon Township library director.
“Our salaries are lower than any library our size,” said Gavey. “Without the revenue, we’d have to cut staff to make ends meet and we’re down to the bare bones already.”
Currently, Brandon Township library has six-full time employees and 30 part time. The staff includes six professional librarians each holding a master’s degree. Well within the employee-library size of other area facilities, says Gavey.
“It’s not that we don’t want to serve Groveland Township,” said Gavey. “However, I don’t think Groveland Township realizes what the service costs.”
The library was opened in 2000. The square footage is ten times that of the old facility, book collection has increased by 35 percent, periodical collection has increased by 284 percent, and a state-of-the-art after school tutoring center to serve both Brandon School District and a significant number of students from Groveland Township are provided as reasons for the millage.
A total of 8,900 library cards have been issued by Brandon Library. Currently 2,317 library cards are issued to Groveland Township residents.